As an external storage device used in a computer system, an SSD (Solid State Drive) mounted with a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a NAND-type flash memory attracts attention. The flash memory has advantages such as high speed and light weight compared with a magnetic disk device. The SSD includes a plurality of flash memory chips, a controller that performs read/write control for the respective flash memory chips in response to a request from a host apparatus, a buffer memory for performing data transfer between the respective flash memory chips and the host apparatus, a power supply circuit, and a connection interface to the host apparatus.